May I Have This Dance?
by Shadow of a Black Rose
Summary: Vastra and Jenny are invited to Inspector Abberline's birthday celebrations - smushy one-shot that came purely from a need to read/write something that wouldn't rip my heart from my chest where these two are concerned.


**Disclaimer: **Anything you recognise isn't mine and I'm not making money from this. K? K.

**Note: **Okay, so I wasn't planning on putting this up for a while yet but somehow I finished it quicker than I was expecting. Just a quick one-shot of cute Vastra and Jenny smushy stuff (okay, there may be a tiny little bit of an argument but come on, all relationships have that). Hope you all enjoy and don't forget to let me know what you think with a review... if you want to... you know, because I'm not going to force you or anything *innocent face*

Love always

Shadow of a Black Rose xxx

**May I Have This Dance?**

"Mornin' Ma'am" Vastra refused to open her eyes but as she heard Jenny making her way over to the curtains and throwing them open the light behind the Silurian's eyelids glowed orange and she let out a strained groan of displeasure as the sun shone brightly into her bedchamber.

"Surely it is not morning already!" The mistress of the house had never been one for mornings. Had she not been in such high demand (both with Scotland Yard and the private cases she often took on for wealthier individuals) the Silurian would not have risen until mid-day at the earliest. However, much to Vastra's dismay, her vast and taxing workload meant that any hope of sleeping her days away was simply impossible. As light continued to stream into the room through the uncovered windows Vastra lifted her arms to cover her face.

Jenny was watching her mistress from the foot of the bed with a small smirk curling the corners of her mouth and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. The girl got some sort of sadistic pleasure from seeing the woman squirm and wriggle, attempting to find a way to block out the light that was wrestling its way into her consciousness. It wasn't that Jenny wanted her employer to be unhappy in her waking hours, of course not. No, Jenny's enjoyment of the Silurian's displeasure was much more a product of her own quest for personal revenge.

Unlike Madame Vastra, Jenny had always been a morning person. Perhaps it was just the way she had been brought up (what with the early mornings before work) but for as long as she could remember the girl had much preferred early mornings to late nights. Vastra, however, did not seem to understand the concept of such a thing. Admittedly, in the early days of their relationship these differences didn't cause too much of a strain between the pair. When Jenny first began working as a chambermaid within the walls of 13 Paternoster Row her mistress had been surprisingly lenient with her choices in sleeping hours, so long as the fires lasted the night without needing to be stoked again; however, as the relationship between the two women had blossomed, first into friendship and then into something so much more, Vastra had become increasingly less willing to let her captivating little mammal out of her sight before she was ready to sleep herself. In the beginning Vastra had insisted on keeping Jenny up to discuss anything and everything about their lives, their work and the world in which they lived but gradually the woman's craving for conversation turned to a need for closeness and companionship, which in turn turned to a need for intimacy and as the relationship grew passionate, so too did the pair's evening activities. However, as much as Jenny enjoyed the intimate time she and her mistress spent together, the late nights and early mornings did take their toll and often the girl would grow irritable due to the lack of sleep she got because of her mistress. It was for that reason that the girl took such enjoyment in the pain it caused Vastra to be woken every morning with no hope of escaping back into her world of dreams.

Jenny waited a few minutes to allow Vastra to reach the point in her mind where she would realise that all hope of sleep was lost before she slowly made her way over to where the woman was lying and perched herself on the edge of the bed. The girl couldn't help the smug grin that pulled at her lips as her mistress squinted up at her with her eyebrows furrowed and Jenny laughed when Vastra's long reptilian tongue flicked out from between her lips warningly.

"Now now ma'am, that's quite enough o' that. You know as well as I do that you don't 'ave the time to be layin' around 'ere all day, so don't get stroppy with me."

"Be that as it may I am still under no obligation to be happy about it." Still frowning, Vastra grudgingly pulled herself up in the bed so that she was sat facing her maid and, sighing softly, she allowed her frown to relax slightly as she regarded the girl. As much as she disliked mornings the Silurian could not deny that her mood was always brightened considerably by her waking in the company of her dear companion. Jenny may have been a sadistic little minx at times but still Vastra had grown so very fond of her and as she lifted her fingers to tuck a stray strand of hair behind the girl's ear she whispered, "good morning my dear."

"That's more like it! That's the greetin' I was lookin' for the first time around." With a quick wink and a gentle kiss pressed to the Silurian's cheek Jenny slid a handful of letters from the pocket in her apron and held them out to Vastra. "Looks like we're gonna be busy with this lot," she murmured, "y'know, if the police were any good at their own jobs we wouldn't 'ave to spend so much time doin' their work for 'em!" There was a slight bitter note in Jenny's voice but Vastra knew that the girl didn't mean it. Jenny loved taking down criminals just as much as Vastra did; the Silurian could see it in the girl's eyes whenever they were closing up a case, how a fire would light behind those endless hazel pools and Jenny would have to fight to conceal her smile. "Anyway, your breakfast's nearly ready so I'd 'urry an' get changed if I were you."

"Jenny..."

"No, I am not dressin' you! You know 'ow that ended last time!" A deep blush flushed Jenny's cheeks and Vastra smirked to herself at the memory. She had been hoping that they could recreate the attempt that the girl had made at dressing her mistress the morning before (once Vastra's nightgown was off all thoughts of re-clothing her had been extinguished) but as Jenny quickly turned and withdrew herself from the room the Silurian realised that her only option was to turn her attention to dressing and joining the girl at the breakfast table.

It only took Vastra around fifteen minutes to dress properly but by the time she had made her way down the stairs and through the house to the dining room Jenny was already sat waiting for her. The girl was leaning back in her chair with a book propped open against the edge of her empty breakfast plate, her eyes scanning the words on the page intently as she waited for the Silurian to join her. For a moment Vastra stopped in the doorway at the sight of her maid. With the amount that the girl had read over the last year alone it was hard to believe that when she had first come to work for Vastra, Jenny hadn't even known the alphabet properly (she always got confused after K); yet there she was, reading what appeared to be a short novel by George Eliot. If Vastra were to guess she would have thought Jenny would be reading _Silas Marner_, it had been the girl's favourite of Eliot's novels since she first read it (although _Middlemarch_ came in a close second).

"Am I free to speak or would you like me to hold all conversation until you have reached a suitable stopping point?" Vastra had begun to cross the room as she spoke and, realising that Jenny's silence was an indication that the girl was not planning on responding any time soon, the Silurian seated herself at the head of the table and laid the letters that the maid had given her earlier by the side of her plate while she eyed her breakfast hungrily.

"Mutton" the girl muttered before Vastra had even asked the question, " an' don't eat it too quick, you know it gives you stomach cramps when you rush." Not once did Jenny's eyes leave the pages of her book when she spoke and as she turned the page slowly Vastra couldn't help but chuckle to herself. She loved how well the girl knew her. Even without having her attention focused on Vastra Jenny could practically read the Silurian's mind - Vastra found it a particularly endearing quality, despite how very human it was. However, she was not so appreciative of how Jenny insisted on cutting her meals into manageable sized cubes as though Vastra were an infant or an invalid. She knew why the girl did it, of course. The last time Jenny had served her mistress a full slab of meat as a meal the woman had devoured it so quickly that she had made herself rather ill and had been bedridden for a full day, but still Vastra didn't understand how dicing her meals was supposed to make her eat any slower. Sighing in resignation she skewered a chunk of meat on one claw and popped it into her mouth as she opened the first letter and began to read. It wasn't until the Silurian had eaten most of her breakfast and read all but one of the letters that Jenny finally placed a handkerchief in her book to hold her place and laid the book down on the table.

"Right, I'm all yours." Vastra looked up from the last letter that she had just opened up and raised an eyebrow. Immediately the girl began to blush (again - Jenny really wished she wasn't so easily embarrassed). "No... I didn't mean... Oh, for 'eavens' sake ma'am! You know what I meant!" The blush in Jenny's cheeks only seemed to deepen as she stumbled and tripped over her words but Vastra simply smirked slightly in response. The Victorian era was just so proper, it made it far too easy for the Silurian to entertain herself, making both Jenny and the officers from Scotland Yard stumble over their words like innocent little hatchlings. Wanting nothing more than to change the subject Jenny quickly pulled herself together and asked, "So, what's that case you're readin' about?"

"Actually my dear, this one does not concern a case at all." Jenny frowned. Who on earth would be writing to Vastra if it wasn't about a case? It wasn't that the Silurian didn't have friends, but the only friends she did have were either still hibernating beneath the earth's crust or they were scattered across space and time (an inevitability when one came into contact with the Doctor). Of course, Jenny wasn't counting herself in that number, but she lived with Vastra so clearly she would have no reason to write to the Silurian herself. "We have been invited to a social gathering, tonight."

"An' by _we_ you mean..."

"Well, yes, the invitation is directed to me but it is from inspector Abberline. He is holding a gathering to celebrate his birthday and he says that everyone involved in Scotland Yard is invited. You assist me in my cases dear, that makes you just as involved in his ridiculous police force as I am and certainly more so than many of those who will be attending the event." As she spoke Vastra had placed the letter down on the table by her side and she had slid her hand over to where Jenny's was laying on the polished wooden surface of the table. Covering the girl's hand with her own the Silurian squeezed it lightly and leant towards the maid a little. "I cannot decline the invitation my dear, it would be rude to do so, but I will have no fun at such a gathering if you are not there with me."

Vastra could sense Jenny's reluctance. The girl's eyes were locked on the plate before her and the hand that the Silurian was not holding was fiddling restlessly with the locket around her neck. It was a nervous habit that Jenny had picked up since Vastra had given the locket to the girl on her last birthday. For some reason quite beyond Vastra's understanding Jenny found playing with the trinket comforting in some way.

"Vastra, I..." The mistress of the house braced herself for the inevitable answer that she knew Jenny was about to give her. Sometimes she thought she had grown to know the maid a little too well, it was almost unsettling how she could know exactly what the girl was going to say before she had even said it. "I don't know that it's such a good idea for me to go love. I mean, it's not like I'd be able to enjoy it anyway. All o' your colleagues know me as your maid. I'd be sent off to the kitchens the second we got through the door an' you'd still end up spendin' your night 'idden away behind your veil making small talk with so-called police officers while I 'ave to try not to correct the grammar of Abberline's dim witted staff." The Silurian chuckled a little at Jenny's last statement but quickly her laughter died out into a dejected sigh. She wished that things could be different. She wished that contemporary people were not so narrow minded and judgemental. But most of all, Vastra wished that she didn't have to pretend that Jenny was anything but the intelligent, fierce and beautiful woman that she had fallen madly in love with.

"What if I insisted on your remaining with me for the entirety of the night?"

"You know as well as I do that Abberline wouldn't 'ear of it. The man's a snob. 'e'd make some ridiculous excuse just so 'e didn't 'ave to 'ave anyone below the upper class and 'is own staff seen in public." Unfortunately, Vastra knew that the girl was right. The Silurian had a certain talent for winning debates one way or another but even she couldn't come up with a single counter argument that would get Jenny to agree to accompany her to Inspector Abberline's birthday celebrations.

"Jenny please, I have no wish to attend without you."

"Then don't go." Jenny's eyes flicked up to meet the Silurian's and the girl lifted herself from her seat. She edged her way past the corner of the table and allowed herself to lean back against the edge that was opposite where Vastra sat. Gently, Jenny allowed her fingers to trace her mistress' jaw line, tickling the spot just under Vastra's chin gently until the woman leaned forwards, craving more. "Stay 'ere. We can snuggle by the fire an' I'll read to you." For a moment Vastra hesitated. Jenny's suggestion did sound lovely, certainly more appealing than an evening pretended to be interested in misogynistic men who seem to think that every woman would be lucky to call them their own. However, the Silurian was fully aware that she would be spending her evening enduring the latter practices.

"I cannot. I wish I could, my love, but he is my colleague. If I am to work with him I must be willing to endure gatherings like this to stay on his good side." Jenny's fingers dropped from below the other woman's chin and she sighed. She knew all too well how she was going to handle this situation and a part of her hated herself for it.

"Alright. If you 'ave to go then I guess I'll come with you." She always gave in to Vastra's wishes. Somehow the maid simply couldn't bring herself to let Vastra down. She found it funny, the things she would do for love, but Jenny supposed that if you truly loved someone you would make sacrifices for them. The way that Vastra's eyes lit up as Jenny agreed to go with her made the girl smile. She enjoyed knowing that she had made the woman happy - Vastra's happiness was the only thing that really mattered to her.

"Oh, Jenny Flint, you wonderful, dear little mammal." Vastra was on her feet in seconds and she pressed Jenny against the breakfast table as her arms circled the girl's waist, pulling her close. A soft giggle danced through the air from the girl's lips and Vastra pressed a gentle kiss to Jenny's head. "You are so very good to me."

"Well someone 'as to look after you don't they!"

~.~.~.~.~.~

It had been over an hour since Jenny had finished getting herself ready for Inspector Abberline's birthday celebrations and still they had not left the house. The maid was sat in the window seat by the bed she shared with her mistress with a book propped open in her lap (_Lady Audley's Secret_, another favourite of hers) but she had given up all attempts to read. For the past three hours Vastra had been debating over what to wear for the evening and, with Jenny present to give opinions, she had been trying on dress after dress and dismissing each one for reasons Jenny couldn't seem to get her head around. One was too extravagant, another too much like everyday wear, some were too feminine and others made Vastra feel as though she might as well have gone in her old Silurian battle suit for how utterly ridiculous she would look amongst the other women. Each time the mistress of the house would enter from the dressing room she would turn to allow Jenny to see the dress from every angle before asking for the girl's opinion.

"You look ravishin' dear" Jenny would say, or "That one's just perfect, can we go now?" But Vastra simply was not satisfied.

In all honesty, Jenny didn't know why the Silurian was going to such effort. When they had been talking that morning Jenny had got the impression that Vastra couldn't care less about the party and wasn't in the least interested in attending aside from for appearance's sake, but apparently the woman cared enough to want to dress for the occasion.

"Well if I must go then I wish to look my best." Vastra had explained, but still Jenny didn't see the need for such a fuss. Quite frankly, she thought Vastra looked beautiful in whatever she wore. The woman could have attended completely stark naked and Jenny would have told her she was the best dressed woman in attendance - although, given Vastra's aesthetic differences the maid was reluctant to suggest such a bold move.

"Okay, that's enough," Jenny stated simply as Vastra once again hissed an irritable comment about the dress she was trying on, "I know what you can wear." The girl placed her book on the bedside table nearest the window (her side of the bed) and swiftly glided past Vastra into the sizeable dressing room that the two of them shared. "I was goin' to save this as a gift for our anniversary, but if I 'ave to watch you try on one more dress I may lose my mind!"

Outside the dressing room Vastra was stood scowling at the door that had swung partially shut behind Jenny. She couldn't for the life of her figure out what on earth the girl was talking about. What anniversary? What gift? The Silurian cursed to herself that she had fallen so deeply in love with a member of a species that was so fond of celebrating simple parts of life, it made it far too difficult for Vastra to keep up with each thing that she was supposed to be buying gifts for.

"Jenny, what are you...?" As the maid stepped out of the dressing room with a large white box, tied neatly with a silver bow, the Silurian lost her train of thought. What on earth had the girl bought for her? And more importantly, how had she managed to get the money to do so. Vastra knew that she still paid Jenny for her maid duties, and that she paid well in comparison with other employers, but she didn't pay that well.

"I know it aint our anniversary for another week but if I give this to you now then maybe we'll actually get to the Inspector's party before it ends."

"Jenny I... I couldn't possibly..."

"Oh, don't be daft," the girl rolled her eyes as she noticed the deeper shade of green tinting the other woman's scales and she flashed Vastra a knowing look, "you may not 'ave remembered the anniversary o' the first day we met but that don't mean I can't give you a gift to celebrate it anyway." Vastra could have sworn she felt her heart sinking down to her stomach as Jenny's words echoed in her mind. Was it really that anniversary again already? It had been five years since they had met, Vastra knew that, but still she never seemed to be able to remember the specific day. In her mind it felt as though they had met only yesterday and yet it also felt that they had known one another an eternity. How could one possibly pin point the exact day that the woman she loved had entered her life when that woman had become her life in its entirety?

"Jenny... I... I did not... I mean... I have not forgotten..."

"Stop it Vastra, we both know you did forget. It's okay. I never expected you to remember anyway." Shifting the box to rest between her left hand and her hip, Jenny took hold of Vastra's hand and led the Silurian over to the bed where she lay the box down. "Well, go on. Open it."

For a moment Vastra just stared. First she stared at the box, then at Jenny, then back at the box. It occurred to her how utterly ridiculous she must have looked, just staring at a motionless box before her, but it didn't feel right to open a gift from her sweet little human girl when she had not given Jenny anything in return. It wasn't until she saw Jenny's raised eyebrow and folded arms that Vastra finally leant down over the box and began to untie the ribbon. Inside the box was the most beautiful and expensive looking dress Vastra had ever seen in her life. The entire thing, from the high neck to the long sleeves and full length skirt, was made of a luxurious emerald silk almost exactly the same shade as the soft scales that covered the Silurian's neck. Intricate designs broke up the striking green all over in black Velvet and at the very bottom a fine layer of black lace circled the hem. Vastra didn't know what to say. Her mouth hung open slightly as she explored the details of the patterns of velvet covering the silk and she ran her fingers over each material, relishing in the feeling of each one.

"Oh Jenny," she whispered, a tone of wonder playing on her voice "it's beautiful."

"I'm glad you like it." The girl giggled. Jenny had remained stood by her mistress' side as she opened the gift and as she had watched Vastra's expression change from reluctance to intrigue and then to wonder the smile on the girl's face had grown bigger and brighter with every second. For someone who didn't believe in giving gifts or celebrating the little things in life Vastra's reaction to receiving gifts really was a marvel to behold and Jenny's day was brightened every time she got to see the awed expression that graced the woman's face as she opened the gifts she had been given.

"But darling, how on earth did you afford this? Even I don't pay you well enough for you to..."

"I've been savin' up. Five years is a long time, I wanted to make it special." Vastra was utterly speechless. She pulled her eyes away from the dress for a second to glance over at Jenny. How on earth had she gotten so lucky and found such a wonderful woman who had been able to steal her heart?

~.~.~.~.~.~

The majority of the evening played out almost exactly as Jenny had predicted. On arriving at Inspector Abberline's home the man had taken one look at the maid by the veiled detective's side and had visibly stiffened. After greeting Vastra, Abberline had quickly made a suggestion that Jenny should locate one of his staff and ascertain how best she could be of use for the course of the evening before he placed a hand on the Silurian's back and lead her off into a throng of bodies that seemed to fill up the halls and rooms of his home. Jenny had been left to stand in the open doorway as she watched Vastra being led off, the Silurian glancing back at her maid apologetically as she went.

"Bleedin' wonderful" the girl muttered to herself as she stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind her before removing her cloak.

"Ignore 'im, we don't need any more 'elp any'ow." Jenny jumped as the nearby voice startled her and she turned to find a short, plump girl stood close by her side. Jenny hadn't noticed her before but, spotting Vastra's cloak hanging limply over the girl's arm, she assumed that she was one of the Inspector's house maids. "'e's sent that many servin' girl's from other 'ouses down to us that there's not enough jobs to go around anymore. I'm Rosie, by the way." The maid flashed a toothy smile and held out a plump hand to Jenny which she quickly shook and muttered her own name in reply.

Rosie seemed like a pleasant enough girl. She had long, dirty blonde hair that she wore in a plait down her back and her chubby cheeks seemed permanently flushed pink. Her stout frame pulled at the fabric of her uniform (even under the corset that she had so clearly attempted to use to compress her considerable waistline), but her uniform was still clean and well kept and Jenny admired her for that. To some extent Jenny got the impression that Rosie was one of those girls that always had a smile for anyone she met but Jenny wasn't a fool; she could see how forced Rosie's smile was and how utterly dead she was behind her eyes. The sad part was that Jenny wasn't surprised - with an employer like Abberline how could any girl not lose hope in her life's direction.

"So, Jenny, you're the maid who works for that strange female detective that the master's always talkin' about?"

"Yeah, I suppose - but she aint that strange."

"I dunno, she never seems to take them gloves an' that veil of 'ers off. What's that all about?" Jenny gave an unintentional snort of derision before she could stop herself. As if a girl like Rosie could even begin to understand why Vastra concealed her appearance. The maid was clearly a gossip (obvious from her immediate need to know the secret behind the Great Detective) and Jenny knew full well that those sort of people were the worst and most hopeless when it came to compassion. Jenny didn't mean to be rude in her approach to the other girl, she just didn't like the way that the night seemed to be heading. She wasn't happy with Vastra being taken away from her where she couldn't keep an eye on the woman. Still, it wasn't the other maid's fault even if the blonde girl did strike Jenny as an irritating little so-and-so. Luckily Rosie didn't seem to notice Jenny's snort, nor the raised eyebrow above her right eye, and instead of responding she simply continued: "The master says you mistress 'as some 'orrible disfigurement or a skin condition or somethin'. 'e's never seen it 'imself but 'e says that's the only possible reason she could 'ave for wantin' to keep 'erself so 'idden from view." The girl chortled to herself a little before adding, "well, that, or she's jus' a damn ugly one, which 'e says is likely considerin' she aint married at 'er age."

"Excuse me!" Something in Jenny snapped at Rosie's words and as she turned on the other maid the smile dropped from Rosie's face. "I'll 'ave you know, Madame Vastra's one o' the most beautiful women I've ever seen in my life. She looks a little unconventional under that veil she wears but she's a thousand times more beautiful than you, or any other woman in this 'ouse for that matter. I don't see 'ow it's any of your business why she 'ides 'erself or what 'er relationship status is but if I ever 'ear you or your master talkin' about my mistress like that again I'll see to it that you both get what's coming to you!" Jenny's eyes were dark as she glowered down at Rosie and her delicate little hands balled into fists. The girl may have been small but even that didn't take away from the threat that she posed. She took a step closer to Rosie so as not to let anyone else hear her as she lowered her voice and continued: "An' you can remind your master that my mistress aint the only one who deals with the criminals 'im an' 'is officers can't 'andle, an' 'e should be more careful what 'e says about people who can turn against 'im just as easily as they started workin' for 'im. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm goin' to find my mistress. I don't like leavin' 'er alone in places like this - too many people like you around, willin' to make judgement on things you can't even begin to understand." Turning to leave Jenny paused for a minute and as she slowly spun back to face the other maid she pressed her own cloak into the girl's arms. A small smirk played around the corners of Jenny's lips and she added in her most sarcastic voice, "pleasure meetin' you" before she followed the path that Vastra and the Inspector had disappeared down a short while before.

Barely able to think as she began to weave her way through the crowds of people, laughing and chatting in an animated manner, Jenny found herself wandering blindly from one room to another. The Inspector's house seemed to be rather bigger than the girl had been expecting. From the outside the house hadn't looked all that much, and both Vastra and Jenny had turned their noses up slightly at the pure inadequacy of it, but Jenny was beginning to wonder if they had spoken too soon. If the house had been nearly as small as they had originally anticipated then she was sure that she would have found Vastra by now but the woman seemed to be nowhere in sight. Still, pushing on Jenny continued to search. Her eyes scanned every group of people, every corner of every room, all the time looking out for a hint of the striking green silk of her mistress' dress that the girl knew she would recognise for a mile off. After at least a half hour, however, Vastra was still nowhere in sight. It wasn't until Jenny was just about to give up that she turned the corner into a particularly large room that she finally caught sight of her.

On a raised platform at the far end of the room a full orchestra was playing a beautiful tune that Jenny didn't think she had ever heard before. All around the room people were paired off, dancing close together, arms wrapped around one another. The maid's eyes scanned the room carefully, scrutinising every woman she saw until, finally, her gaze fell on the form of her mistress. Inspector Abberline was leading her by the hand into the centre of the room and as Jenny watched he spun the Silurian into his arms and began to dance with her. For a second Jenny felt a pang of jealousy but it quickly transformed into something far more powerful - pure anger. How dare that man lay his hands on her mistress, her love, after everything he had been saying to his staff about her? It was outrageous. Not only was it entirely unprofessional to speak so badly of a colleague to one's staff but to then pretend to be a comrade to that same person...

Jenny refused to simply stand there and watch it. Her fists still clenched from her argument with Rosie, the girl weaved her way through the dancing couples with the grace and agility of a cat and as she reached Vastra she pushed the Inspector out of the way without a second thought and addressed the Silurian directly.

"Ma'am, I need to speak to you."

"Jenny, are you alright...?" The maid couldn't see her mistress' face through her veil but from the tone of the woman's voice Jenny knew that Vastra understood that there was something bothering her.

"I need to..."

"Madame Vastra, what on earth is the meaning of this?!" Vastra turned her head to regard the Inspector who had an expression of both anger and complete shock painted on his face. For a moment she simply stared at him, not entirely sure why he seemed so upset. It wasn't until she looked back at Jenny and took note of the maid's uniform that she wore that it even began to make sense. "Your maid is entirely out of control. Are you simply going to allow her to lay a hand on me like that without punishing her?!"

"I... well... Inspector she hardly did any harm. It is plain to see that the girl is upset about something." The Silurian was trying her best not to take sides but she could see as she spoke that her situation was becoming worse with every word that she uttered. Inspector Abberline seemed completely appalled by Vastra's unwillingness to punish Jenny. His own, large hands were clenched into fists and he had his feet parted as he stood his ground. His face had flushed to a shade of red that for the average human would be considered unhealthy and a part of Vastra half expected steam to begin erupting from his ears and nostrils at any moment. As for Jenny, her eyes had not left Vastra's veiled face since she had found herself in front of the woman and she had no intention of looking away for anything, no matter how much of a fuss the Inspector made. In opposition to Abberline, Jenny's face seemed void of all colour in her flustered state and although her hands had finally unclenched from the fists she had held by her side the fingers of one hand were now fiddling restlessly with the locket around her neck while the other hand hovered helplessly between dropping back down by her side or reaching out for Vastra and pulling the woman out of the room that very second.

Vastra didn't know what to do. She didn't know how to react. On the one hand she would only make herself out to be even more of a social anomaly if she were to take Jenny's side and not punish her for 'acting out'. All of London already judged Vastra continuously for her mysterious need to hide her visage from the world, her choice to work in a 'man's profession' and the fact that she was unmarried and seemingly middle aged (heaven knows what they would have thought had they known how old she really was). Could she really afford to give the people of London anything else to judge her for? On the other hand, however, the Silurian did not believe that she could bring herself to punish Jenny for anything when firstly the girl had done nothing wrong, and secondly she appeared to be in such an immense state of distress that she could collapse at any minute. It pained Vastra to see the girl so upset and it worried her that anything could get to Jenny so much that she would end up in such a state about it. In all honesty she wanted nothing more than to listen to what Jenny had to say but it seemed impossible with Inspector Abberline demanding some sort of punishment and people beginning to turn and watch them from all around.

"Jenny... perhaps you should go home. We can talk about this later." It was the most neutral thing Vastra could think of saying but as Jenny's face dropped and her fingers froze in their fidgeting with the locket the Silurian knew that it hadn't been neutral enough. There was a split second in which everything seemed to go silent (although the orchestra continued playing and all but a few of the party guests who had stopped to watch them continued in their merriment) then Jenny's hands both dropped down by her sides limply and she clenched her teeth in an effort to control the feeling of her heart shattering in her chest.

"I aint goin' 'ome without you," she hissed, "but fine, you stay 'ere with your gentleman friend - I 'ope the foul tongued, pompous pig makes you very 'appy ma'am." With that she shoved her way past Vastra and ran from the hall.

~.~.~.~.~.~

It was an hour later when Vastra finally managed to find Jenny again in the empty library two rooms away from the hall where the majority of the guests were now enjoying the melodic playing of the orchestra. With the party still in full swing outside of the room the Silurian closed the door behind herself and, hoping that no one would wonder in at any point, she removed first her right glove and then her left before reaching up to her head and pulling away her veil. She didn't want to have her vision of Jenny obscured in any way when she tried to speak to the girl. Vastra knew she had upset Jenny, albeit unintentionally, and she thought it best to make her apology face to face so that the girl could see just how sorry she was for hurting her.

"Jenny?" At the sound of her name the maid stirred slightly but she didn't turn to look at Vastra. Jenny had curled herself up in an armchair that was placed near the fireplace with her knees tucked up to her chest and her eyes fixed on the flames of the fire as they flickered and burned. Slowly, Vastra made her way over to the girl, dodging a sofa that stood in her way and finally coming to a rest by Jenny's side where she knelt herself down on the floor. "Jenny..." this time the maid turned her head slightly towards the Silurian, although her eyes still remained fixed on the fire.

"What d'you want? You got bored o' the inspector already?!"

"Jenny, don't be like that. You know full well that I only said what I did because it is what your society expects of me. If anything I should have been far harsher to keep up appearances - Inspector Abberline told me right after you left that I ought to have publicly humiliated you." Although she tried to hide it, the bitterness in Jenny's voice really did hurt Vastra.

"Oh? An' what exactly was it that you did if it weren't public 'umiliation? Hm?" For the first time Jenny looked down at Vastra and the Silurian noticed how the girl's cheeks were red and blotchy. She must have been crying. Vastra went to reach out and take the girl's hand but as she watched Jenny's eyes flicking down at the sudden movement she quickly thought better of it and allowed her hand to drop back into her own lap. "Y'know, not everyone who 'as people workin' for 'em is like Abberline. All the 'alf decent upper class folk at least listen to their searvin' girls before tryin' to dismiss 'em - 'an most o' them don't even like their staff. So 'ow do you think it felt for me in there when, not only would you not listen to me, but you tried to send me 'ome as though I were the one who'd done somethin' wrong when that vile man's been sayin' all sorts about you to 'is staff?!"

The final words that Jenny had spoke hung in the air like smoke, slowly being consumed by the occupants of the room. Vastra's heart had sunk slightly as every word passed the girl's lips and, with her eyes locked on Jenny, she studied the girl carefully. Was that what all of the fuss had been about before? Had Jenny been trying to tell her about the things Abberline said behind her back? Although Vastra knew that the situation was no laughing matter she simply couldn't suppress the low chuckle that escaped her lips.

"Oh, I see, do I amuse you ma'am? Is that it? Am I just some big joke to you?"

"No!" Jenny's voice had broken slightly as she had spoke and the sound had been enough to bring the Silurian back to her senses. Once more Vastra reached up to take the girl's hand and this time she did not pull back. Gently enveloping Jenny's warm hand in her own cold one she dropped her gaze slightly and sighed. "My love, I am sorry if I embarrassed you before or if I made you feel at all as though I did not care for you or what you had to say. It's just... do you really think I do not know what the Inspector and the majority of my other colleagues think of me? Do you really think I have not heard what they say when they think I am not listening?"

The hurt look in Jenny's eyes softened slightly at the Silurian's apology but she still didn't seem to quite understand. Of course it had occurred to her that Vastra may know what Abberline was like already but that wasn't exactly the point. What had bothered Jenny was the way the man simply shared his opinions with everyone and anyone. How could Vastra not be upset by that? How could the Silurian just carry on as though there was nothing wrong with it? As though reading her mind, Vastra sighed softly and lifted the girl's hand to her lips, kissing it lightly before murmuring.

"Jenny, when you are so obviously different from the rest of the world as I am you become accustomed to the hateful and unfair opinions of others. It makes no difference to me what anyone has to say about me, nor does it matter to whom the opinions of others are addressed." Vastra lifted herself from the ground to stand once more and she gently pulled Jenny up to join her. The Silurian wrapped her arms around the girl before her and pulled the petite human form against her own body in a tight embrace. "What matters to me," she whispered softly in Jenny's ear, "are the opinions of those I care for... the opinions of those I love. I am content in knowing that you care enough for me to ignore all social conventions to try and protect me my dear, why should I need anyone else to hold a positive opinion of me when I have someone as wonderful as you in my life already?" A small smile crept onto the girl's face as she allowed herself to lift her own arms to wrap them around the Silurian's neck and Jenny rested her head against the other woman's shoulder lightly.

Through the silence that had fallen in the library Vastra and Jenny could just make out the soft sounds of the orchestra continuing to play in the other room. In all honesty both women had almost forgotten where they were and what was going on in the house around them. It was hard for them to focus on anything but one another when they were so close and, wrapped in each other's arms as they were, it had almost seemed as though the rest of the world had vanished. However, as the music drew the pair from their own little world Jenny lifted her head to look up at Vastra and she leaned her body into the Silurian's own a little more as she did so.

"Perhaps we should go 'ome," she whispered, "Neither of us really wanted to come 'ere tonight anyway."

"I have a better idea." Stepping back from her maid ever so slightly Vastra dropped her head in a small bow before holding out her hand. "May I have this dance?" Jenny couldn't help but giggle. Was Vastra serious? Someone could walk in at any minute and see the unveiled Silurian, but all she wanted to do was dance? The maid thought Vastra was mad, but then again, wasn't that just one of the many things she loved about the woman?

Slipping her hand into the one held out towards her Jenny dropped into a small curtsy before allowing Vastra to pull her close once more. The woman's other hand rested gently against Jenny's lower back and the girl placed her own free hand on Vastra's shoulder. They danced for what seemed like hours, swaying and spinning, their eyes never parting even for a second until the song ended and Jenny slipped her hand from the Silurian's shoulder and curled it around the back of the Silurian's neck.

"I love you so much" she whispered, her fingers tracing the spiralling scales that covered the apex between Vastra's neck and the crests at the back of her head. The Silurian smiled softly and tightened her grip around the girl in her arms. It always made her heart race when Jenny said that. She supposed it was because she knew that she loved the girl just as much. Vastra leant down until their foreheads were pressed together and their lips were only inches apart. The feeling of Jenny's warm breath on her scales sent a slight shiver down the Silurian's spine and she purred lightly as she noted how the girl's lips twitched up into a small smile.

"And I love you."


End file.
